Blog20Articles
Notes on sampling and injection.
Practical guides to HPLC autosamplers, injection, lab automation and instrument building, with sources cited. From the team developing the Elutrolab AS-48.
Start here
Top 3 compact HPLC autosamplers in 2026 (and how to choose one)
Three compact HPLC autosamplers you can buy in 2026, compared on verified size, vials, pressure and control, plus a checklist for choosing one.
Comparisons1
HPLC dimensions and bench space: module footprints compared
HPLC dimensions from current datasheets: autosampler and system footprints, service clearances, bench depth, lab space cost and practical ways to save room.
8 min read
Guides9
How an HPLC autosampler works: injection principles explained
How an HPLC autosampler works, step by step: needle, syringe, loop, valve and wash, plus fixed-loop, flow-through needle and split-loop designs compared.
10 min read
Full-loop vs partial-loop injection (and how to size a sample loop)
Full-loop vs partial-loop injection compared: precision, overfill, the 50% rule, syringe accuracy and sample use, with worked examples for sizing a sample loop.
9 min read
HPLC injection volume: how much can you inject on your column?
How much can you inject on an HPLC column? Column volume formula, a table of maximum injection volumes for common columns, and how diluent strength changes it.
8 min read
Autosampler carryover: causes, how to measure it and how to cut it
How to calculate autosampler carryover, what ICH M10 accepts, how to find the part that causes it, and which wash solvents and rinse settings reduce it.
11 min read
HPLC pressure ratings: psi to bar, MPa and what your autosampler needs
HPLC pressure rating explained: psi to bar and MPa conversions, a column backpressure calculation, viscosity and temperature effects, and how to size an autosampler.
11 min read
HPLC vials, caps and septa: a practical selection guide
How to choose HPLC vials, caps and septa: neck finishes, glass or polypropylene, inserts with real residual volumes, septum trade-offs and worked examples.
11 min read
Autosampler qualification: the tests to run on a new autosampler
HPLC autosampler qualification explained: USP <1058> status in 2026, the OQ tests with typical acceptance limits, and worked precision and gravimetric examples.
10 min read
Online HPLC reaction monitoring: how automated reactor sampling works
Online HPLC reaction monitoring explained: offline vs at-line vs online, reactor sampling, quench and dilution, published systems and a worked sampling schedule.
10 min read
Buying a used or refurbished HPLC autosampler: prices and checklist
Used and refurbished HPLC autosampler prices seen in October 2026, what each grade includes, a pre-purchase checklist and a five-year cost of ownership example.
10 min read
Engineering4
6-port injection valve explained: positions, rotor seals and pressure
How a 6-port HPLC injection valve works: load and inject positions port by port, rotor seal materials and pH limits, pressure ratings, wear and maintenance.
10 min read
Controlling serial lab instruments from Python with pyserial
A practical pyserial guide for lab instruments: finding ports, timeouts, line endings, a tested driver class, retries, asyncio, fake devices and OS quirks.
7 min read
SiLA 2, OPC UA LADS and serial: lab instrument integration standards
SiLA 2, OPC UA LADS, SCPI and plain serial protocols compared on transport, discovery, typing, tooling and effort, with a tested SiLA 2 wrapper for a serial pump.
9 min read
OEM autosampler checklist: building one into your instrument
An OEM autosampler checklist for analyzer developers: mechanics, fluidics, 24 V power, serial protocol, IEC 61010 and CE compliance, lifecycle, supplier questions.
11 min read
Research3
The future of HPLC autosamplers: trends for the next decade
Eight autosampler trends for the next decade, from capillary LC and SiLA 2 to self-driving labs and online PAT, split into what is real now and what is not.
10 min read
Self-driving labs: where sampling and HPLC injection fit in the loop
What a self-driving lab is, how landmark systems analysed their samples, why HPLC is often the bottleneck, and a checklist for samplers that run in a closed loop.
8 min read
Open-source and low-cost autosamplers: what the literature shows
A review of 14 published open-source and DIY autosamplers and sampling robots: what they do, what they cost, and why almost none inject at HPLC pressure.
11 min read
Reference2
HPLC autosampler troubleshooting: common problems and fixes
Autosampler troubleshooting by symptom: poor precision, missing and ghost peaks, pressure spikes, leaks, blocked needles and split early peaks, with tests and fixes.
19 min read
HPLC autosampler glossary: 72 terms explained
An HPLC autosampler glossary: 72 terms from backflush and carryover to split-loop, SiLA 2 and virtual COM port, each with a short definition and typical values.
15 min read